This invention generally relates to method and apparatus for assisting a user in the process of solving multiple equations sharing common variables. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for representing to a user the state of variables in multiple equations to be solved.
The ability to solve an equation for an unknown is a powerful tool of newer computing devices such as calculators and computers. When such a tool is applied to an actual problem, the problem is often best represented as a set of multiple equations. For simple problems with few equations and variables, a user chooses one equation, puts in values that he knows and solves for an unknown. He then use the result of the first equation to solve for an unknown in a second equation and so forth. Ultimately this solution process leads to a value for a particular variable of interest.
For more complex problems, however, the number of equations and variables to be determined is large and the solution process becomes tedious. The user must keep track in each step for each variable whether it is known, unknown, or calculated. It also becomes difficult to select the proper equation in sequence to lead to a value for the desired variable. And once the solution is complete, it is difficult to identify which variables have related values and which do not.
Prior attempts to solve the difficulties of equation selection, variable tracking and variable identification have largely been manual in nature. Some have employed numerical root finders for the actual solving operation for each equation. Others have employed calculator or computer-based methods that automate the select-and-solve portion. But none of these prior attempts has provided a user with a visual indication of the state of a variable and its relationship to the other variables in the set of equations after solution of the equation.